George Fluhr – the warrior soul of Shohola Township

By TOM KANE

SHOHOLA, PA — When you talk to George Fluhr and begin to list his many accomplishments in the 31 years he served as an elected official in Shohola Township, he articulates what has turned out to be a mantra: “I could not have done any of this alone without the help of some unusual people who live around here.”

Fluhr recently announced his retirement from public office after winning six consecutive six-year terms as a Shohola Township supervisor, a rare accomplishment along the river towns.

Looking at his public service alone, even without including his accomplishments as an educator in New York City and later as an administrator as a Pennsylvania educator, one is astonished at the range of his accomplishments. Without George Fluhr, Shohola Township would have been a very different place.

During his public service, Fluhr was the first chairman of the Upper Delaware Council (UDC) in the stormy days when the National Park Service (NPS) took over the management of the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River and helped create the River Management Plan, the master guideline in the operation of the Upper Delaware.

“One of the major concerns about the life of the river in those early days was the almost uncontrolled abuses by canoeists along the banks,” Fluhr said. “We realized that the towns were not able to police the river properly, and that this was one of the major jobs of the park service, a job they have done very well over the years.”

Fluhr was one of the main spokesmen for efforts to preserve private property along the river, and represented the voices of local support for the efforts of the NPS at a time when tempers flared and opposition was high. “This was, I believe, the first time the federal government limited its right of eminent domain,” he said. Fluhr realized the importance of the local towns’ role in the functioning of the UDC and in the need for the towns to be a strong presence along the river valley.

His passion for the history of the area projected him into projects like the saving of the Zane Grey House, the formation of the Organization of Township Historians, the annual commemoration of the famed Civil War train wreck along the river, the preservation of historical markers including the grave of the Minisink Battle unknown soldier, placing Pike County sites on the National Record and the creation of one of the only township museums at the railroad caboose. The authoring of seven historical books and numerous articles and pamphlets let to Fluhr’s appointment as the Pike County Historian, in which capacity he will continue to serve. The list goes on and on.

Fluhr, 71, was born in the Bronx in 1937, and came to Shohola with his parents for summers and weekends as early as the ’40s. His grandparents had purchased a home in Shohola in 1909. In New York City, he served as a teacher and then assistant principal at PS 66 in the Bronx, focusing in the area of special education. He built his Shohola house in 1969 and moved here.

For a number of years, Fluhr, who has a Masters in Education, served as a supervisor in the Intermediate Unit of the State Education Department, working in 10 school districts with special education programs. When he retired in 1977, he ran for public office in Shohola.

Fluhr likes to reminisce about one incident in the early days of the Upper Delaware project that centered around the Roebling Bridge. At the time, the bridge had been closed for 10 years because of an accident with a large truck that fell through the roadway.

“The service had promised never to put a toll on the bridge, but when they reopened it, they wanted to initiate a a toll,” he said. “At a meeting on the matter, I made them see that it would not make any economic sense, since they would probably lose money. The cost of the needed employees to collect the toll would be more than the expected income. Whenever I cross the bridge, I recall with humor that incident, and realize that you have to be eternally vigilant in your job as a public servant.”

That eternal vigilance was the hallmark of Fluhr’s career not only as an educator but as a public servant, guiding him through the maze of bureaucratic regulations and limitations that sometimes exist in the public sector. Fluhr’s special brand of wisdom and vigilance will be missed with his retirement.

Fluhr will continue to be active on the committee for the recently adopted Shohola-Lackawaxen multi-municipal comprehensive plan, will continue to represent the township on the UDC and will remain in his position as the Pike County Historian.